


Miraculous Cure

by Their_Destinys_Writer



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Blood, Character Death, Darkness, Gen, Violence, You May Cry, but has relationship development, fair warning, not permanent though, not romance oriented
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-09 22:55:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13491528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Their_Destinys_Writer/pseuds/Their_Destinys_Writer
Summary: Ladybug has used her power for many things, like repairing buildings, fixing Cataclysm’s damage, and erasing akuma damage. But how far do her powers go? That was one question Marinette never wanted to find it out the answer to.





	Miraculous Cure

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for writing this.

It had been an hour already. Ladybug and Chat Noir had been toe to toe against Pain of Arc for over an hour, but were still no closer to beating her. She was an akuma like neither hero had ever seen before. The young woman could control and transform swords. Not only that, but she was completely covered in a thick, medieval like armor. But larger, colored in purple and black, with golden accents.

At this point, the two heroes were exhausted, despite the extra strength the miraculouses granted them. They had never fought for so long. Sometimes it took them a while to deakumatize the victim, but they would never be engaged in battle this long. Sometimes they could at least get a break. But not this time.

“We’re gonna be at this forever,” Ladybug breathed, her hand on her knees.

“There’s gotta be a way to take her armor off,” Chat Noir commented, catching his breath as well.

“I’ve been trying to figure that out,” the spotted heroine huffed. “But it’s like her armor is completely attached, and she’s too agile to just grab her sword.”

“Are we sure the akuma is—woah!” the cat-themed hero dodged another sword just in time. “Ladybug, just call on Lucky Charm!”

“I’m trying!”

The two heroes leaped for the thirtieth time in the last hour. Two more knives crashed through several windows and transformed into two more swords.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Chat Noir let out, deflating.

“Take cover!”

As quickly as she could, Ladybug snatched her partner’s tail and pulled him inside the closest building she could find. The blades hit the door with such force, that it sent it flying off its hinges. By instinct, Ladybug looked around the place, only to realize where she had brought them.

“ _Ma_ —I-I mean, Mr. and Mrs Dupain-Cheng, please leave the bakery, now!”

The startled couple immediately nodded, but just when they were about to exit through the side door, a sword struck the wall right next to them. The team of superheroes turned to see Pain of Arc entering the bakery, three swords floating around her.

“No one is going anywhere,” she hissed under her helmet.

“They have nothing to do with this fight,” Ladybug said firmly. “It’s our miraculouses you want, isn’t? Involving these people will do you no good.”

“Nice try,” Pain of Arc chuckled. “You think I haven’t noticed how you place these people’s safety above everyone else’s? I told Hawkmoth he’s not attentive enough.” Her jaw moved under the helmet, like she was smirking. “But I am.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened in realization.

“Get out,” she said, her attention focused on the villain.

“What?” Sabine asked, incredulous.

“Get out now!” Ladybug managed to finish saying, just as she swung her yo-yo to stop another sword from shooting towards her parents.

Tom and Sabine ran around the weapons, but when the man went for the handle of the side door, a blade stabbed the lock. Tom jerked away from it, holding on to the hand grazed by the weapon. Sabine quickly went around him and tried to pull it from the metal handle, to no avail.

“Take cover!” Chat Noir called over the commotion they were making, trying to stop Pain of Arc.

The moment Tom and Sabine crouched behind the counter, four more swords punctured the wall behind them.

“Chat, get them outta here!” Ladybug called over.

At that moment, her weapon lost grip on the villain. Pain of Arc took the opportunity to raise her hand and summon the swords. By instinct, Chat Noir rapidly extended his staff to push the akuma out of the bakery. But she had already used the power.

In a split second, both Ladybug and Chat Noir turned to the civilians, Sabine stood up from her hiding place to say something, and the butt of one of swords shot through the air with almost bullet-like speed.

_CRACK_

Time stopped.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Ladybug. For Marinette.

Her mother fell to the floor, limp, her head turned in an awkward way.

Broken.

Her eyes became glassy, and her expression empty.

Dead.

“SABINE!” Tom yelled.

It was all Ladybug needed to come out of her trance, and for time to start ticking again.

“YOU MONSTER!” she yelled, tears rapidly blinding her sight.

Without a moments hesitance, she threw her yo-yo aside and snatched Chat Noir’s baton from his hand, instantly turning it into a staff.

“AAARGH!”

“Ladybug!” She heard her partner call from behind her, but the girl was already out of the bakery, hitting Pain of Arc with all her supernatural strength.

“YOU,” _clank_ , “KILLED,” _clank_ , “MY,” _clank_ , “MOTHER!!!”

With a hit up the young woman’s jaw, her helmet came off, letting long, brown hair flow freely. Purple eyes locked with blue ones for a second, but the next, Ladybug growled loudly and shoved the butt of the staff to Pain of Arc’s nose.

“LADYBUG!”

“GYAH!” Ladybug swung the staff, hitting the akuma’s already bloodied cheek.

“LOOK OUT!”

Ladybug was about to take another swing at Pain of Arc, when leather-clad arms grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back, just in time to avoid three swords flying to where she had been standing. The swords stuck to the ground. Ladybug stared wide-eyed. Yet, her expression quickly turned dark. She tried walking towards them.

“Chat Noir, let me go!” she yelled, struggling against his fierce grip.

“The akuma is in the sword she’s holding!” the boy responded, in an attempt to ground his partner.

“I don’t care about the akuma!” she admitted, eyes locked on the swords.

“If you catch the akuma, you can save your mother,” Chat Noir insisted. At last, the pig-tailed girl stopped. “Cleanse the akuma, then use your Miraculous Cure.”

Ladybug let out a breath, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. She looked at Pain of Arc again, who was laying on her knees and hands, blood dripping from her face. All she wanted to do was beat her senseless. To death, even.

“I don’t know if it brings back the dead,” Ladybug said with a trembling voice, a new batch of tears streaming down her face.

“Try,” Chat Noir whispered in her ear, as he softly handed her yo-yo back.

She gulped. “Lucky Charm!”

In a swarm of ladybugs, a screwdriver appeared and landed on her hand. The heroine almost chucked it in frustration. However, she took a deep breath instead, searching her surroundings. It was then she noticed parts of the akuma’s armor was attached with screws, like a cosplay. And one of those would loosen the armband on her sword-wielding hand.

Either way, she had to pin the young woman to the ground.

“Help me hold her down,” Ladybug commanded, giving Chat Noir his baton back.

The two walked closer to the villain. Yet before they reached her, the akuma bolted to her feet, grabbing a second sword and launching towards Ladybug. Both heroes managed to dodge just in time. On Ladybug’s end, she grabbed one of the swords stuck to the ground.

When she turned around, Pain of Arc was running towards her, dragging the swords on the ground. In a split moment decision, Ladybug rose the one she had grabbed and started running towards the akuma, screaming a battle cry.

Pain of Arc twirled to stab Ladybug, but they ended clashing weapons, two against one. They both pushed, the spotted heroine growling and the armored villain baring her blood filled teeth. Ladybug looked at the face of the woman before her, how the red liquid gushed from the gash on the bridge of her nose. Yet she didn’t care that she caused it. It anything, it satisfied her.

“You don’t deserve to have a miraculous,” the young woman hissed. “You’re nothing but an incompetent child.”

“Grrargh!” Ladybug gave one hard push, finally separating them.

Just then, Pain of Arc sent the lose sword into the air, along with three more. With a swift move, she brought her hand down, and the blades followed suit. Ladybug swung hers to block one, two, three, four. When the akuma started lifting her arm again, the heroine chucked the weapon she was holding and brought out her yo-yo instead. In a rapid move, the yo-yo wrapped itself on the wrist of Pain of Arc.

“Chat!”

Without needing to be told twice, Chat Noir tackled the villain and pinned her down. Ladybug pulled the woman’s arm, and threw the screwdriver to her partner.

“Unscrew her arm brace,” she commanded again, still pulling with her yo-yo.

Chat Noir did as told, almost eagerly, Ladybug noticed. Once loose, the piece of armor slid off, taking the glove and the sword with it. The second the two objects were one her grasp, Ladybug snapped the sword in two on her thigh.

The next steps passed in a blur for her. She knew she snatched the akuma. She knew she purified it. She knew Pain of Arc was no longer a villain. But she paid no attention to any of it. She didn’t even bid the purified butterfly goodbye. Instead, the second she saw the spec of white, she turned tail directly to the bakery. Even ignoring Chat Noir’s calls.

At last, she reached the destroyed pastry store. Ladybug crossed the threshold and saw how her father was on his knees, holding her mother in his arms. Unlike earlier, Sabine’s eyes were closed, and her head no longer laid in an awkward angle. Ladybug ran closer and slid to her knees. Her hands hovered over her mother’s body.

“Is she…?” she trailed off, afraid of the answer.

Tom didn’t utter a word. Instead, a tear fell down his cheek, and he shook his head.

Ladybug let out a heart-wrenching sob. She tried to stop her crying, but found that she couldn’t. Another, louder, sob ripped from her lips. It wouldn’t stop. The tears continued falling and falling. Her hand was now covering her mouth, trying to muffle the never-ending cries. Her eyes closed, trying to get rid of the pain.

It took a squeeze to her bicep for her to realize someone had placed something in her hand. Ladybug softly opened her eyes to see the spotted screwdriver. She hiccupped, trying to remember what she had to do with it.

“M-Miraculous Ladybug,” she chocked.

Despite the object not been thrown into the air, it still turned into a swirl of ladybugs that spread throughout the city. Pieces of building that had been broken went back into place. Swords that had been stuck along the streets disappeared, while knives and such reappeared in their respective kitchens. Lastly, they embraced Sabine for a few seconds and disappeared.

“ _Maman_?” Ladybug sobbed, staring expectantly at her mother.

Sabine didn’t move. Ladybug was about to call again, when suddenly, Sabine’s eyes snapped open, she gasped for air and bolted up into a sitting position.

“ _Maman_!” Ladybug threw her arms around her mother, ignoring the confusion on the woman’s face. “I’m sorry!” the girl cried. “I’m so sorry! I failed to protect you. I thought I lost you. I wasn’t sure if the Miraculous Cure could bring back the dead. I thought you were gone for good. And I didn’t protect you. I’m so sorry!”

Her earrings gave one last beep and her transformation slowly dissolved. Marinette was left detransformed, sobbing on her mother’s shoulder, while Tikki landed on top of her small purse.

“Marinette?” Sabine managed to utter.

“I failed! I’m so sorry.”

“No, no, look at me,” the woman pulled her daughter away and held both her cheeks. “Marinette, you saved my life. I’m okay because of you. You didn’t fail me or Paris.”

“That’s right,” Tom intervened, placing a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “You saved your mother, my wife. You’re our hero, _mon petite pain_.”

Marinette sniffed, shifting her gaze from one parent to the other.

“I love you _maman_ , _papa_. I love you guys so much, I-I…” Marinette hiccupped.

Sabine smiled, as she cleaned away a new batch of tears streaming down her daughter’s face.

“We love you too, sweetie,” she said, with a soft smile.

“Very much,” Tom added. He then looked at something behind Marinette. “And thank you too, Chat Noir. For always taking care of our _petite pain_.”

Marinette could’ve sworn her heart skipped a beat. She whipped her head around and saw Chat Noir standing there, like he had been about to leave.

“It’s an honor to protect your daughter, sir,” Chat Noir said. “And I’ll continue doing so.” He cleared his throat and started turning away. “I guess I’ll see you around—.”

“Wait!” Marinette called. She stumbled up to her feet, as Tikki fluttered to her shoulder. She was quickly in front of her partner, but was suddenly at a loss of words. “Chat Noir, I-I—”

“Don’t worry, Princess,” he said, placing a hand on her free shoulder. “Your secret is safe with me.”

A small paw caressed her cheek, and Marinette turned to look at Tikki. The little goddess nodded, letting her know it was okay. That she had nothing to worry about. That the unintended revelation was something she could accept.

“Thank you,” Marinette sniffed, looking back at the boy before her. “For everything. I don’t know how far I would’ve gone if you hadn’t stopped me.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” he shrugged.

They looked at each other for a moment, coming into understanding of their new situation. Softly, Chat Noir pulled Marinette into a warm hug. They remained in each other’s arms for a few seconds, tears still sliding down the girl’s face. At last, Chat Noir gave her a kiss on the crown of her head and pulled away.

“I think you should spend some time with your parents,” he suggested. “I’ll take care of the victim.”

Marinette gave another sniff and nodded. The boy cleaned one last tear on her cheek before he took a few steps back and vaulted away. The girl only stared after him for as long as he was seen, as she quickly turned back to her parents. Without saying a word, Tom and Sabine each placed an arm around their daughter and walked her inside the bakery.

It was bound to be a long afternoon for the Dupain-Cheng family.

* * *

Despite the buzzling of people in the streets and the tinkling from the bell of _Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie_, the bakery almost seemed somber to Adrien. He could almost sense the fear that invaded the family from the events of the previous day. Nevertheless, he approached the counter with determination.

“Hello Mrs. Cheng,” he greeted.

“Oh! Hello Adrien, dear,” Sabine said, looking up from the register, where she had been organizing receipts.

“How are you today?” he asked sincerely.

Sabine gave him a funny look. It then hit Adrien he’d never asked that question to her.

“I’m good,” she responded anyway. “What brings you here?”

“I came to see Marinette. We missed her today at school.”

“Ah, yes.” The woman’s eyes became downcast. “She’s upstairs in the apartment.”

“Great. Thanks, Mrs. Cheng.” The blond turned on his heels and started walking to the side door.

“Adrien,” Sabine called from behind him, making him stop. “She hasn’t been well today. Just... Be kind to her.”

“I will,” the boy said, giving her a reassuring smile.

He made his way upstairs, until reaching the door that lead to the apartment above the bakery. With a deep breath, he knocked on the door. He only had to wait a few seconds for Marinette’s voice to come from the other side.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“It’s Adrien,” he responded.

There was a sound of the handle being unlocked and the door opened by a fraction, revealing a tired looking Marinette.

“Adrien?” her brows furrowed. “What are you doing here?”

“I brought you your homework,” he responded quietly, with the smallest of smiles. “Can I come in?”

Marinette seemed to hesitate for a moment, yet widened the gap anyway, and closed the door once her classmate was inside. Adrien promptly placed his bag on one of the chairs in the dining room and started rummaging through it.

“Here,” he said, handing her a thin stack of papers.

“Thank you,” she whispered, quietly taking it and placing them over the kitchen counter. She tapped the surface for a moment. “Everyone alright at school?”

Adrien almost scoffed at the thought that Marinette was asking about everyone else, when she was the one hurting.

“They’re fine,” he answered hastily. “Mostly they were worried about you. Word kinda spread.” When Marinette’s eyes went wide, Adrien added: “That you missed the entire day of school. It’s not common for you. We thought you were sick.”

“Oh,” Marinette let out, along with a relieved breath. “No, I’m fine. Just wasn’t up for school today.”

“You don’t look fine,” the blond couldn’t help say.

The girl before him averted her gaze, like she didn’t want anyone to know her actual state. They stood silently for a few seconds.

“I got something else for you,” he said suddenly, searching his pocket this time. At last, he took out the charm she gave him. “Here.”

Marinette frowned. “But… that was gift.”

“I know,” Adrien said quietly. “It’s just that… well, something tells me you need it more than I do right now. You could use all the luck you can get right now.”

Marinette shook her head. The blond thought she was about to turn away, but instead, she closed his hand on the charm and gave him the first smile he’d seen since the incident.

“Keep it,” she whispered. “I already have yours. It’s enough for me.”

Adrien looked down at her hand, wrapped around his. It amazed him how despite everything she went through, she still found the strength to continue and wish the best to others. Despite the shock. Despite the trauma. Despite the loss, even if temporary.

He could see why she got the ladybug miraculous.

Seeing as she would not accept the charm, he squeezed the small piece of her in his hand, and hugged the girl instead. Marinette gasped at the sudden move. She stood still for a few seconds, moving at last to return the hug. It was an embrace Adrien had never felt from her before. It was one that begged for comfort. So he obliged, holding her tighter. Until he heard a sniff.

“Marinette?”

“Don’t let go,” she begged. “Please.”

With a sad breath, he placed a hand on her head, softly stroking her hair. They remained in each other’s arms for a long time. Long enough for them to lose track. It wasn’t until Marinette stopped crying that Adrien let go.

With an encouraging squeeze to her bicep, the blond bid her farewell, reminding her that he was there for her, for whatever she needed. Marinette expressed her gratefulness one last time and returned the words.

It wasn’t until Adrien was halfway to his house, that Plagg decided to poke out of his over-shirt.

“Why didn’t you tell her?” he asked. “I thought that was the point of delaying my cheese?”

“I couldn’t do it,” Adrien responded quietly. When the kwami gave him a questioning look, he continued. “She has enough on her plate right now. The timing is just…not right.”

“Oh,” Plagg uttered. “Will you ever tell her?”

“I will,” the boy assured. “Not yet, though. I think I need to give her time to process what happened yesterday. The last thing she needs right now is to add another person to her ‘people-she-needs-to-worry-about’ list.”

“Hmm,” the kwami hummed in agreement. “Someday then?”

“Yeah,” Adrien nodded. “Someday.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is probably the darkest story I’ve posted so far, so this is kind of knew to me. Feedback will be much appreciated. I may write a sequel, but not sure yet.
> 
> For drabbles and more writing, follow me in Tumblr at their-destinys-writer, and for occasional ramblings you can follow me on Twitter @TDestinysWriter


End file.
